Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: A Card Style Mystery Blog Hop

Hi all! Thanks for visiting today as we celebrate Paper Crafts special issue Card Style (you can order a copy here at Shop Scrap and Paper Corner). It's a fantastic publication and I'm so excited to be a part of it! This issue does a great job of defining the four most popular card styles and illustrating each style by including many well executed examples. I think the most important thing that I've done as a card maker is to establish my style... while I like to try my hand at fun and cute, graphic and vintage/shabby, you will find my best work when I create classy and elegant cards. Here's my elegant birthday card to share with you today...

There is something so appealing about a beautiful damask print, shiny crystals and satin ribbon that makes me want to stay up crafting into the wee hours of the morning.

While working on projects for this issue I thought long and hard about why I find this style so appealing. It finally came to me that the reason is actually simple... as a stay-at-home mom, I rarely get to bling it up or get all decked out anymore. My days of dressing to the hilt and heading to fancy parties are on hold... and while I'm not ashamed to admit that I currently own more Crocs than high heeled shoes, sometimes a mom needs to be fancy in some aspect of her life. So I choose to have a very elegant, classy card style. It is fun and satisfying for me to create this way (plus its a lot more comfy than squeezing into a pair of panty hose;).

Are you ready for some fun? If you join our hop you will have 20 chances to win big today... just leave comments on all 18 mystery blogs and over at Paper Crafts Connection and Moxie Fab World and you will be entered to win a prize valued over $350 at each location where you leave a comment. A portion of the prize will be shown at both Paper Crafts Connection and at Moxie Fab World so head on over if you haven't visited yet today. To be entered to win here, just leave a comment telling me what occasion you think a classy & elegant card is best suited for. All comments must be posted by Sunday, July 18th & 3 winners will be announced on both the Moxie Fab World and Paper Crafts Connection on Tuesday, July 20th.

Are you ready to gain even more inspiration? Hop on to our next mystery blogger by clicking here:    

Thanks for visiting & enjoy your hop!

Products: patterned paper (TCP Studios), cardstock (Bazzill), ribbon (Michael's Stores, Inc), feather (K&Company), button (Girl's Paperie), crystals (Mark Richards, USA and Me & My Big Ideas), twine (May Arts), stamps (Prima and Rachel Anne Miller), pins (Making Memories)

Froggy Inspiration and Piggy Tales Academy's July Kit

WARNING: If you don't like frogs, skip this post:)

Hi everyone! Just dropping in quickly to share a few projects from Piggy Tales Academy's July kit. You can check it out HERE... it is full of fun stuff and very versatile especially if you have both girls and boys to scrap;) I naturally gravitated to the girly side of it and was able to scrap some photos from a quick trip we took yesterday to the frog pond at our local nature conservatory.

Here are some of the photos we took...

Love this guy that was catching some rays...

...while most of his friends sat under the shade of the trees along the edge of the pond...

...or under the shade of their own private lily pad...

...after scoping out the whole pond...

...we decided that we liked this guy the best... so he became the star of our page...

Journaling reads: So today we headed to the Cincinnati Nature Center to spend some time with our frog friends. Last week we got to go with Daddy and we stumbled upon this fabulously green pond, inundated with these lovely creatures.  We had some extra time today so the girls and I decided to go back and and get some photos... if you don't like green... this place is NOT for you. Its impressively virescent... its impressively beautiful and you can't even count the number of frogs that inhabit the pond (there are 10 alone hiding in this layout:)   July 12, 2010

And a card... just love this green and purple... such an A1 color combo! 

Have you heard that Paper Crafts new special issue Card Style is out?  I just got my copy yesterday and it is AWESOME:) If you are interested in getting your style on, check out Moxie Fab World and Paper Crafts Connection... there's are lots of great challenges and contests going on all week!

That's all I have to share tonight! I hope you all are well & I'll be back later in the week with some fun stuff;)

3-D Five Point Star

Hello! Today I'm going to share a simple way to make a 3-D five point paper star using only paper, a bone folder and scissors. As soon as I learned I'd be working with the Independence collection for July's tutorial, I immediately knew that this is what I wanted to share.

Patterned paper (GCD Studio's Independence collection: Constitution, Antietam, Carnegie, Jefferson, and Lexington), cardstock (kraft), stamp (Hero Arts), ribbon (Michael's Stores, Inc), flower (Prima), thread (Coats & Clark)

In my mind, Independence arouses wonderful memories of hot summer weather, the smell of a charcoal grill and the feeling of never ending summers in our back yard spent with family and friends... American summer at its best.

To create these stars:

1) cut a piece of paper into a square

2) fold paper in half so that the fold is at the top

3) fold the top right corner to the opposite side of the rectangle so that the corner meets the edge about 2/3rds of the way down the paper

4) fold top left corner up along first fold

5) flip over 

6) fold in half

7) take scissors and cut an obtuse triangle. This triangle will become the star

8) unfold and crease top edges

9) to embellish with flower or ribbon, cut off center point and adhere embellishment

I remember folding these stars as a kid to make homemade decorations for family cookouts and reunions.  I hope this is something that inspires you to grab a pair of scissors and make these homespun memories of summer for yourself.


Have a great week!

What's on My Desk...

Anyone make stuff because its easier to use up what is on your desk than put it away? Lol... that's soooo me tonight! I have a quick page to share that is made from (inspired by?) the product laying on my desk. It was very timely because this collection (Delovely by Cosmo Cricket) is the perfect match to my pink floatie pictures of the girls from vacation... so occasionally the stars align and it is just easier to put the stuff on your desk to good use:)

Journaling reads: "The big hit of vacation this year was these flower floaties. We (by far) spent most of our time at the pool and these pink darlings allowed Campbell to play with her best 10 year old vacation friend Hannah in the deep end and Hadley to pretty much roam the whole pool (even in the 8 ft deep end-- that girl has no fear when she's trying to keep up with big sis;). What a great gift from Grandma and Grandpa Gyurina!      Myrtle Beach, June 2010"

Did you all hear about Teresa Collins new release? Its a stamp making machine... yes, if I understand it correctly, you can make your own stamps based on your own designs and photos... CLICK HERE to check out her blog post about it... it sounds so cool!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

Products... patterned paper, mini pink alpha stickers (Cosmo Cricket: DeLovely collection), glitter letter stickers (American Crafts: Thickers), ribbon (Michael's), cardstock (core'dinations), font (antique typewriter)

Got Sketch? 101

Hi everyone! Today was a happy first... I was asked to be a contributer over at the Got Sketch? blog. Valerie Salmon has Sketch 101, a new card sketch, up this week & I am so happy to be a contributor for it. Here is my card...

To create card:

1. make card from cardstock (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
2. cut 1 1/2" squares from patterned paper and adhere to card
3. cut 1 1/2"x 4 1/4" strip of stripped patterned paper, punch scalloped edge and adhere to card
4. stamp sentiment on white cardstock and embellish with yellow floss (glue with wet adhesive)
5. fussy cut flowers from patterned paper and adhere with foam dots
6. embellish with flower and ribbon bow

Wether you are a card maker or scraper, you can find some great sketches over at the Got Sketch? blog. So hop on over to see the sketch and other great cards by this week's other contributors:)

Products...patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket's Delovely collection), flower (Prima Fairytale Roses), cardstock (Bazzill), stamp (Hero Arts).

Inspired by a button....

Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a great week. Things are good here... we are just trying to get rested up from a very busy weekend before another one starts. We had a blast celebrating the 4th with our friends and family... but I think its time to just do something simple tonight like have a breakfast for dinner night and snuggle night in front of the TV;)

Here's a card that was actually inspired by the button on it (I just love it and wanted to make something that complimented its design)...

This card is a thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments that you have been leaving around here lately. Each really does bring a smile to my day every time I read them and I appreciate them so very much:)

Products: patterned paper (GCD Studio's Artsty Urban collection), black & white bird rub-ons (Jenni Bowlin) and clear sentiment stamp (Hero Arts), pearls (Prima)

Orange

Orange is the happiest color. --Frank Sinatra

Green

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.  -Martin Luther

Red, White and Blue

Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White and Blue... -George M. Cohan

Purple

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it... -Alice Walker

BIG GCD Studios Give-A-Way!

This week, we have one BIG give away for our FUN Newsletter!

Heidi and Heather in house just finished our July issue and it's ready to mail! We are so excited about it, because it's our best issue yet!

Here's how it works:

1) Sign up for the news letter here.... Inthestudio@gcdstudois.com 

2) Then leave a comment here over at GCD Studios Blog (look for the upcoming post that says GIVE AWAY+ HAPPY 4th).

In the News letter you'll see the prize :)

Then on July 12th... Heidi will pick the winner!

Yellow

There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. - Pablo Picasso